Lost

Ex-state worker finds out the hard way that agencies can destroy records

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The State Employees’ Retirement System is
looking for former public employees who may be eligible for benefits
— but if they don’t come forward fast enough, they could be out
of luck. Take the case of Clint Benton Jr., a former
Department of Corrections employee who now lives in Memphis, Tenn. Benton, 77, says the SERS owes him $6,357.22 that he
paid into the retirement plan between 1963 and 1972. SERS officials say a
refund was issued in Benton’s name in 1986 but that the funds were
intercepted by the state comptroller to pay another state agency. That can
happen, for example, if the former employee owes child support. Benton insists that there must have been a mistake.
He maintains that he has never owed money to any agency and adds that his
two children have lived with him since birth. Unfortunately for him, if there was a snafu somewhere
in the system, he won’t be able to prove it. Charles Ketchum, a representative of the SERS refund
division, says the agency routinely destroys old records to make room for
new ones. Ketchum, who has investigated Benton’s case, says he also
checked with the Department of Children and Family Services to determine
whether Benton owed any child support. Those records, too, have been
destroyed, Ketchum says.The comptroller’s office, which diverted
Benton’s refund, also doesn’t keep documents older than seven
years, so there’s no way to ascertain which agency withheld his
money. Benton wonders why the agencies can produce a copy of
the check and refund warrant but no records indicating which agency
intercepted the funds. “That’s what puzzles me. They had to send
it somewhere, and they know where they sent it to and who signed for it.
Those records should stay on file forever,” Benton says. Ketchum calls Benton’s “a rare
case.” Benton, meanwhile, advises state workers to withdraw
their contributions as soon as possible to avoid ending up in his
situation. “I think the public should know about this and
other state employees should know,” he says. “It don’t make no kind of sense.”
Do you know a “lost” potential
beneficiary of the state retirement system? Go to www.state.il.us/srs/
SERS/inactive.htm for a list of names.Contact R.L. Nave at rnave@illinoistimes.com